Liner Notes for the Revolution

Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, Rock & Roll Hall of FameWinner of the American Book Award, Before Columbus FoundationWinner of the PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles AwardWinner of the MAAH Stone Book AwardA Pitchfork Best Music Book of the YearA Rolling Stone Best Music Book of the YearA Boston Globe Summer Read“Brooks traces all kinds of lines…inviting voices to talk to one another, seeing what different perspectives can offer, opening up new ways of looking and listening.”-New York Times“A wide-ranging study of Black female artists, from elders like Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters to Beyoncé and Janelle Monáe…Connecting the sonic worlds of Black female mythmakers and truth-tellers.”-Rolling Stone“A gloriously polyphonic book.”-Margo Jefferson, author of NegrolandHow is it possible that iconic artists like Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé can be both at the center and on the fringe of the culture industry?Daphne Brooks explores more than a century of music archives to bring to lif